Used a cooler filled with warm water and aquarium heater to keep batch warm and moist while fermenting. Worked like a charm the first time. Starter was very effective. Created a tasty marinade and stored tempeh in it. I doubled the batch and had enough for friends. Recommend highly.

Description

Details

Now you can make delicious tempeh at home! Tempeh is a traditional Indonesian food made by fermenting soybeans with a starter culture. Traditional tempeh is a soybean cake that has a rich smoky flavor and aroma, and a firm nutty texture. It is a great source of protein and vitamin B-12.

Each box contains 4 packets of starter culture.

Tempeh is fermented at 88°F (31ºC), the normal outdoor temperature in Indonesia.

Manufactured in Belgium.

This traditional food often replaces meat in dishes and can be sliced, marinated, or seasoned as desired.

Tempeh Recipes and Expert Advice Articles

Additional

Additional Information

UPC

00814598020360

Reviews

29 Reviews For "Tempeh Starter Culture"

excellent

by Florence on 11 Sun,2012

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I have used it yesterday for the 2nd time and the tempeh came out beautiful. I will definitely buy from them again. I also bought the yogurt starter which is also excellent. Cultures for Health is very consistent and trustworthy.

Fun and tasty

by LydEllison on 01 Thu,2013

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Very pleased with this culture. I've made two batches, first chickpea and the second split pea. Soy beans are definitely not required for good results as some guidelines say. I have also only used one of the four starter packets supplied as I had great success collecting spores from the fist batch with water in order to make it the second time. The chickpea tempeh was especially yummy!

Excellent

by RootsEatery on 06 Wed,2013

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This was my first time making Tempeh and it came out perfect every time. I made four batches: Chickpea, Chickpea + Red Rice, ALL BLACK-Bean/quinoa/lentil/wild rice, then Chickpea again which is most excellent!
After net research, I was expecting failure but have had none yet. I recommend this as an inexpensive and relatively easy way to make tempeh that is so superior to anything I have ever purchased in a store. Thank You Cultures for Health!

Very pleased

by Nancy on 01 Sat,2014

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This was my first time making tempeh and it turned out great. It is a real value over store-bought and the fresh tempeh is much more delicious. Since then I've made several batches and they all turned out beautifully. Removing the skins from the soybeans was time consuming at first, but I soon perfected my technique. I have now made batches with brown rice and quinoa added to soy. Also tried black-eyed peas and black beans, roughly chopping instead of skinning. I learned that the beans need to be cooked but firm. I prepared the finished black bean version with chipotle and used it in tacos.

Easy, successful, great tasting

by Nimbus4 on 04 Thu,2014

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Used a cooler filled with warm water and aquarium heater to keep batch warm and moist while fermenting. Worked like a charm the first time. Starter was very effective. Created a tasty marinade and stored tempeh in it. I doubled the batch and had enough for friends. Recommend highly.

It works.

by Bob on 07 Tue,2014

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We have purchased this product 3 or 4 times over the past year. It makes great tempeh. It arrives in a timely manner and it is never back ordered.

Easier than expected

by Patrick on 07 Mon,2014

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The tempeh starter worked great in my first two batches. I used red and white beans for my second batch - nice. Look forward to making more!

Product was priced well and shipped quickly. I'll be back for more soon!

Worked great

by Heidi on 10 Wed,2014

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After reading about making tempeh I was inspired but nervous because it sounds so much more complicated than yogurt or sauerkraut. My first batch using this starter turned out just fine, even though I made a few mistakes. It was not nearly as fussy as I feared!

easer than I thought

by Peg on 03 Sun,2015

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My first time eating or for that matter, making Tempeh. I had no problems following the directions. The end product was great. I have been using all soy beans so far as we have easy access to them around here. The starter was shipped fast and arrived in good condition. I will purchase again.

Very good product

by Gordy on 12 Tue,2015

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I basically agree with all the above reviews...first time making tempeh....it is a 24-36 hrs process and the product is far superior to store bought. Made soy, brown rice, toasted sesame seed for first product and just made garbanzo bean, rice, and sesame seed the second time...

Delicious

by Pauldliny on 04 Tue,2016

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Excellent culture! Worked for different beans too, chickpeas and black beans came out good!

Success

by Kathie on 10 Wed,2013

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I made tempeh for the first time using this product and it turned out great. The culture was even and white. Thank you for a having a high quality product.

Excellent results

by Amy on 01 Wed,2014

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The tempeh starter got here much quicker than I expected and worked extremely well. I didn't think that little amount would actually go as far as it did, but I used two full cups of northern white beans and it worked fine for one packet. I gave some of it away and my friend who is vegan said it's the best tempeh she ever had. The only suggestion I would make is sell some in a larger bulk size for people who are making bigger quantities. The directions were also excellent.

Great Product

by Haiqing on 03 Sun,2014

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The product is great! You can never ruin your soybeans if you follow the instructions. My friend said my homemade tempeh is way more delicious than a market tempeh.

Does Just What It's Supposed To Do!

by Peckerhead on 06 Sun,2014

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I have used this strarter several times and it's worked perfectly. I couple of times I screwed up by my own mistakes, but if you hull, cook and inoculate your soybeans properly, it will produce fine tempeh. I tried it a couple of times with garbanzo beans though, and didn't have much luck for whatever reason. For this, I understand that Rhizopus oligosporus is a better choice than this starter which is Rhizopus oryzae.

Works perfectly using old style Indonesian method

by Cat Annie on 07 Fri,2014

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This worked perfectly in my first ever attempt making tempeh. My second time, too! I feel the price is good because for a slightly lower total cost I can create tempeh superior to the product in the store which is pasteurized and thus nutritionally deficient. Plus it doesn't taste good, has been frozen, and is packed in plastic. I started with dried intact hull-on organic soybeans, and followed the old Indonesian style summarized by Katz in The Art of Fermentation, and also in The Book of Tempeh by William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi.

Good Stuff

by Zach on 09 Tue,2015

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After hearing repeatedly that homemade tempeh is superior to store-bought, I went ahead and got the starter culture from this website. I made my first batch under fairly adverse conditions - it was actually a bit too hot in my apartment, I think, and I was without a suitable incubator - but it came out quite well. The flavor is great (I made a standard soybean tempeh, and plan to try other legumes) and even the aroma is pleasant and enticing. It's a labor-intensive process to make it at home, but well worthwhile, and the product on sale here helps make it possible.

Makes Great Tasting Tempeh

by Alex on 05 Fri,2016

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This is the 2nd time I have made Tempeh with the starter. Aside from the tedious task of hulling the soy beans, this was much easier than I expected. The Tempeh came out great. I only had to monitor it for a little while until it self heated. The Tempeh tasted much better than anything I have bought from the health food stores. I was surprised how great it tasted - even raw.

Love it

by Robert on 05 Thu,2014

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The product is great, the result is great to perfect....All & all it's very good as it did what it was supposed to. Although, I'm not experienced with other brand, I'd say there up to there claim...and maybe more !!
Priced a "little" more then others, but expensive....come on, get real at 4.99 $
Really....you get what you pay for.

Its good

by Dyan on 03 Tue,2015

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Qualitly is good. I like using more and more.

Excellent Product

by Small Footprints on 09 Wed,2015

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I was hesitant to purchase tempeh starter because of the potential salmonella issues. Upon doing some research, I found that a lot of people used and recommended starter from Cultures For Health. So I purchased a box. It is wonderful. The recipe was easy to follow and my first batch of tempeh was better than I expected. In fact, I have another batch "cooking" as we "speak". The only downside to this product is the packaging ... 4 pre-measured packets come in the box. While I love the convenience of not having to measure out the starter, I would love to buy this product in bulk ... it would save on packaging and be better for the environment. Other than that, I love this product and will continue its use.

A dependable starter

by Luv2cookinWI on 02 Sun,2016

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Not my first time making Tempeh, so I am well aware of failure. I used this culture for the first time, and the tempeh looks great!!

Good product but expensive

by JCB on 03 Thu,2014

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It's the first time I ever made Tempeh and it came out perfect! Too bad that it is quite expensive for me.

First timer. Room for improvement?

by Yarek on 04 Wed,2016

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I was very excited to try making my own tempeh. Following the instructions, I found it quite easy to turn out a reasonably successful product my very first time! Easier than expected, and a good outcome. I tried four different variations, which were successful to varying degrees. I did get some off-flavors, though I'm not sure if it was my process or the product. Some of the beans may have been overcooked, leading to softer, less-dense results. One loaf was incubated longer, and seemed to have the strongest off-taste.
All that said, I would gladly try it again!

Note from CFH: Longer culturing times and higher culturing temperatures can create a tempeh with an off flavor. Please contact Customer Support for troubleshooting assistance before discarding any cultures.

Takes a bit longer but works out fine

by grumps on 04 Thu,2013

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Used two packets of starter and ended up with 3.125 lbs of good tempeh

Very good quality starter....

by Vira on 07 Thu,2013

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The result of tempeh from using this starter was very good! But the price of the starter is quite expensive.

A fine product

by greg on 04 Fri,2016

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I got really good tempeh on my first try with this culture. The taste was better than I can buy locally and I live in an area where good fresh tempeh is available.

Cost and process

by Durgaa on 05 Sat,2017

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Cost is outrageous. Shipping cost could be reduced by a less complicated packaging. Sill not readily available in most places in Canada,. both finished tempeh and the starter. The process worked perfectly. The tempeh cakes appeared like magic. I improved on the process considerably.

Tempeh Starter

by Toby on 02 Sat,2014

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Made some of the best chickpea Tempeh I have ever eaten. But the cost of the starter makes it more costly to make that to just buy tempeh at the store. Too bad because I really like making my own. Would rather buy in bulk form that the small packets it comes in.

Write Your Own Review

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Ingredients

Tempeh Starter Culture Ingredients

Rice, Soy beans, Rhizopus Oryzae Culture.

Does not contain MSG or preservatives.

This product contains no GMO ingredients.

Tempeh Starter Culture Allergen Information

Packaged in a facility that produces products containing soy and dairy.

Gluten-free

Non-GMO

Questions

Questions on Tempeh Starter Culture

Why the vinegar? I watched some Indonesian people making tempeh on Youtube and they do not use vinegar, can it be that they use different kind of starter? They call it "ragi" which generally means "yeast".
Thanks!

It is possible that they were using a different starter, most likely one grown from a previous batch. We do not recommend using this method or skipping the vinegar. The vinegar raises the acidity of the beans to reduce the potential growth of salmonella or aflatoxins. Always use tempeh starter from a trusted source.

I understand that each package will make 4 batches of tempeh. My question is: how much tempeh results in each batch? 8 ounces, 1 lb? I am trying to compare the price to make tempeh this way versus buying it pre-made. Thank you.

The final outcome varies. Depending on the initial weight of the beans, it is likely to be 2-4# of finished tempeh. Since it is measured in cups, the weight of the beans can vary, so for example, small soy beans weigh more per cup than large beans.

While you may theoretically use raw apple cider vinegar to make tempeh, raw vinegars have their own bacteria and yeast that may interfere with the culturing process. A distilled white vinegar would be a safer choice.

If I want to stop the fermentation after 48 hours, but I don't want to consume it right away, should I follow the freezing direction (as noted in http://www.culturesforhealth.com/how-to-make-tempeh)? Thanks!

Yes, you can freeze it as indicated on that page. I also see from reading The Tempeh Cookbook that you can simply refrigerate it or freeze it after wrapping the finished cooled tempeh in plastic wrap. Just don't stack the tempeh packages until they are completely cooled or they will continue to culture! I would experiment with the different ways to store finished tempeh to see what you like once it is later thawed.

This is a little bit different than kerry's question: Will tempeh made with this starter sporulate (i.e. will it form black spores if incubated long enough)? Reason I ask, I see Belgium is the source and there is a well-known Belgian distributor who sells a mutant strain that doesn't sporulate. This is supposedly a benefit, but harvesting spores is my preferred method of propagating the tempeh culture (rather than backslopping which is what kerry is referring to).

According to our information, the tempeh strain we sell will sporulate, but not generally within the 36- to 48-hour normal incubation period. A 3 to 4 day incubation may produce the black sporulation you are looking for.​